RV & Travel

Quick Take ✔ Easy detour, large-rig friendly, quiet overnight with electric & water ✔ A personal tour brought us within a foot of a herd of hundreds of bison ✔ Excellent bison meat at the ranch store ✘ One of the two RV sites is noticeably unlevel 👉 Bottom line: We would gladly stay here again. At a Glance Location: Cookeville, Tennessee Type: Harvest Hosts stay at a working bison ranch Arrival: Approximately 4:00 p.m. RV Sites: Two Electric: Yes Potable Water: Yes Dump Stat

A Beautiful Home Base for Exploring Asheville—With One Important Caveat Before the review of Mama Gertie's, this was for One Week in Asheville, NC by RV. Western North Carolina has no shortage of beautiful scenery, waterfalls, mountain roads, and history. We spent a week using Mama Gertie's Hideaway Campground as our home base while exploring Asheville and several nearby attractions. At a Glance Home Base: Mama Gertie's Hideaway Campground Length of Stay: One Week RV: Grand D

Our First Impressions of the Tesla Model Y Juniper (Premium) Quick Take ✔ FSD has exceeded expectations ✔ Much quieter and smoother than our Maverick ✔ Home charging is easier than expected ✔ More cargo space than we realized ✘ Still learning the screen and settings ✘ Tesla's app-only support model feels impersonal ✘ Reliability remains an unanswered question 👉 Bottom line: After 9 days and 462 miles, this Tesla is proving to be even more useful and enjoyable than we expecte

And Why We Didn't Choose the Other Options I think this report will be one of the most-read pieces in the entire Tesla series because it's where readers get to see the actual decision process. Quick Take ✔ Chose the Model Y for space and practicality ✔ Chose RWD for lower cost and better range ✔ Chose new because used prices made little sense ✔ Ordered primarily because of FSD ✘ Costs significantly more than our Maverick ✘ Reliability remains an unknown ✘ There is always risk

Why We Sold a Vehicle We Really Liked Quick Take ✔ The Maverick exceeded our expectations ✔ We owned it for 2 years and 18,200 miles ✔ It cost us essentially nothing in depreciation ✔ We would seriously consider buying another one ✘ We still sold it 👉 Bottom line: We didn't sell the Maverick because it failed. We sold it because Tesla's FSD technology offered something the Maverick simply couldn't. At a Glance Vehicle Sold: 2024 Ford Maverick Hybrid XL Ownership Period: 2

A Real-World Evaluation Before Buying Model Y Premium (Juniper) Quick Take ✔ FSD is far more impressive than we expected ✔ Home charging would be almost free for us ✔ Could dramatically improve long-distance travel ✔ Technology is genuinely compelling ✘ Costs substantially more than our Maverick ✘ Possible depreciation concerns ✘ Biggest risk may be driver complacency, not the car itself 👉 Bottom line: This is not a financially logical replacement for our Maverick. It’s a te

A Practical Daily Driver That Actually Made Sense for Us Quick Take ✔ Excellent MPG without giving up practicality ✔ Safer and more capable than we expected ✔ One of the best vehicle values we found ✔ Easy to drive, park, and live with ✘ Smaller than what we were used to ✘ XL trim is basic inside✘ Not designed for heavy towing 👉 Bottom line: For a practical daily driver, the Maverick Hybrid made more sense for us than almost anything else we looked at. At a Glance Model: Fo

(When I Wasn’t Looking for One) Quick Take ✔ Started as a solution for my 88-year-old mom ✔ I went in skeptical — expected hype ✔ Demo ride changed my perspective ✔ Still have real concerns 👉 Bottom line: I didn’t go looking for a Tesla—but now I’m seriously evaluating one. What Started This My parents are both 88. My mom has macular degeneration. She can’t see out of one eye, and the other is deteriorating. She’s always been fiercely independent, but now she’s limited to sh

Great Roads, Easy Boondocking, and a Worth-It Stop at Cumberland Falls Mary and Kevin enjoying a beautiful day at Cumberland Falls, with the stunning waterfall providing a picturesque backdrop. Quick Take ✔ Excellent trike riding—twisty, steep, and smooth ✔ Quiet, easy boondocking setup (with good Verizon) ✔ Cumberland Falls is an easy, worthwhile stop ✔ Light traffic on the roads we rode ✘ Narrow roads in places ✘ Not a public boondocking spot (private property) ✘ Winters ar

Easy Big-Rig Stop Near Nashville — With One Thing to Know Quick Take ✔ Easy access for large rigs (we were 73’ total length) ✔ Full hookups, level gravel sites ✔ Clean, friendly, well laid out ✔ Good value (~$50/night with Good Sam) ✘ Noticeable train noise in the evening 👉 Bottom line: A solid, convenient overnight stop or Nashville basecamp—if train noise doesn’t bother you. At a Glance Location: Goodlettsville, TN (north of Nashville) Distance to Downtown: ~12 miles Site

Campground, Downtown, Tybee Island & What’s Worth Doing A practical look at visiting Savannah with an RV — including where to stay, how to get around, and what actually stood out. Quick Take ✔ Spacious Skies is a solid, convenient RV base near Savannah ✔ Downtown is easy to access and enjoyable to explore ✔ Trolley tour is one of the best ways to learn the city ✔ E-bikes are an excellent way to explore both Savannah and Tybee Island ✘ Some campground sites have road noise ✘ T

The Roads Most Visitors Never See Two completely different routes around the island — both beautiful, both remote, and both very different from the typical Maui experience. Quick Take ✔ Stunning coastal scenery on both drives ✔ Very light traffic compared to the Road to Hana ✔ Shows a side of Maui most visitors never experience ✔ Northwest drive offers dramatic cliffside views ✘ Northwest route becomes extremely narrow for miles ✘ Southeast route becomes rough past Kipahulu ✘

Real-World Ocean Experiences on Maui A sunset whale tour and an early-morning fishing trip produced very different — and unexpected — results. Quick Take ✔ Excellent whale sightings on both trips ✔ Pac Whale Foundation tour was organized and educational ✔ Fishing trip unexpectedly produced the closest whale encounters ✔ Molokini crater is impressive from the water ✘ Fishing success can vary widely depending on conditions ✘ Parking at Maʻalaea Harbor costs $15 ✘ Ocean conditio

Two Completely Different Sides of Maui Volcanic desert at 10,000 feet and lush rainforest at sea level. Quick Take ✔ Haleakalā’s crater landscape is unlike anything else on Maui ✔ Iao Valley offers dense rainforest and a peaceful river valley ✔ Both are easy half-day trips from Kihei ✔ Crowds were manageable during daytime visits ✘ Haleakalā summit is cold and windy even when the beach is warm ✘ High elevation can affect some visitors ✘ Weather can change quickly at the summi

A practical stay on Maui’s south shore with easy beach access and solid value. Quick Take ✔ Excellent location in Kihei ✔ Easy parking and well-maintained property ✔ Full kitchen and in-unit washer/dryer make longer stays comfortable ✔ Beach is only about 100 yards away ✘ Some buildings do not have elevators ✘ Condo layouts and balcony sizes vary depending on location The Maui Banyan is not a luxury resort, but it does many practical things well. The property is clean, quiet

A return to places we knew decades ago — and a look at what’s still worth seeing. Quick Take ✔ Black Sand Beach remains one of the most striking places on Maui ✔ The Seven Sacred Pools area is quieter and worth the walk ✔ Kahanu Garden and Piʻilanihale Heiau are unique cultural sites ✔ Koki Beach offers great scenery and local food ✘ Popular spots like Waiʻānapanapa can get crowded ✘ Weather and trail conditions can limit what you can do ✘ Some hikes become muddy and slippery

A real-world drive from Kihei to Hana, with perspective from someone who lived there more than 20 years ago. Quick Take ✔ One of the most scenic drives in Hawaii ✔ Road conditions are better than they used to be ✔ Still feels remote and largely unchanged ✔ Waterfalls, rainforest, and ocean views throughout the drive ✘ Slow travel — expect several hours even without many stops ✘ Narrow sections and one-lane bridges can intimidate nervous drivers ✘ Not the best use of time if y

Flights, hotel, and rental car bundled through Costco Travel for a Maui trip. Quick Take ✔ Nearly $2,000 cheaper than booking the same trip separately ✔ First-class flights included in the package ✔ Hotel and rental car bundled into one reservation ✔ Planning the trip was simple and smooth through Costco Travel ✘ Less flexibility than booking every component separately ✘ Lodging outside the package (like our VRBO in Hana) still needs separate booking For this trip to Maui we

Returning to a place we once lived to see what has changed — and what still holds up. Mary on our Lanai in Hana w/ local flowers. Quick Take ✔ Real-world travel evaluation, not a highlight reel ✔ Staying in both Kihei and Hana for comparison ✔ Road to Hana, whale watching, fishing, lodging, and logistics all evaluated ✔ Perspective from people who lived in Hana for 2½ years This trip isn’t about first impressions. About twenty years ago we lived in Hana. Now we’re returning

A quiet, well-maintained Corps of Engineers campground with full hookups, concrete pads, and easy lake access. Quick Take ✔ Quiet, scenic Corps of Engineers campground ✔ Level concrete pads with full hookups ✔ Walk to the lake in under two minutes ✔ Excellent value (especially with America the Beautiful pass) ✔ Large-rig friendly ✘ Only one trash bin for the entire campground ✘ Not close to restaurants or town activity Persimmon Hill Campground at Enid Lake quietly gets a lot